Coin chute



Dec. 18, 1934. CARSON 1,984,460

COIN CHUTE Filed Feb. 7, 1934 20 H?) 23-- /4 22* ii 5 i; /6

i/v VENTOR A. CARSON A TTORNEY Patented Dec. 18, 1934 PArENr oFF-ics com error]: a

. Arthur carson," Richmond, Va-., assignor to AmericanzTelephoneaand Telegraph Company, a corporation'of-New York Application February 7, 1934, Serial Nor 710,162

7 Claims. (01.19447) This invention. relatesto coin chutes and particularlyto coin chutesfor use with coin operated devices.

An: object ofthe invention is to provide a coin .5 chute with means for rejectingwashers and like slugs the same diameteras legitimate coins.

Another object is to provide improved means for rejecting undersize coins;

I In accordance with one feature of the invention there is .providedin a laterally and 1ongitudinally inclined coin chute through which the coin rolls edgewise anopeninginthelower side wall of the channel of such dimensions as would permit under normal conditions. a legitimate coin or washer of equal diameter to leave the chute under the'action of gravity. Associated with this opening is a rotatable lever havingarms which engage the face and edge of a coin toraise it and prevent it leaving thechute. A washer, however, is not raised butis permitted to fall out .of the chute because one-of the arms enters the hole in the washer which allows the other arm toflbe depressed. Y

In accordance with another. feature of 'the invention the rotatable leverpositively ejects undersize solid coins and slugswhich are notrestrained by theupper edge of the reject opening and are therefore forced out of the chutebya movement of the lever. Thispreve'nts the manipulation of small diameter coins and slugs as by spinning in order to obtain goods or. service from coin operated devices.

In the drawing illustrating. this invention, Figure 1 is a sectional view of a conventional coin collector box used for telephone pay stations;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view of a portion of the coin chute structure with lever mechanism of .this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View ofthe coin chute and lever mechanism showing the position of the parts with a legitimate coin passing therethrough; and Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating the operation in rejecting a washer.

In Fig. 1, 5' designates the conventional coin box casing, .6 represents generally the coin chutes, 7 a switch-hook lever and 8 a conventional spring pile-up-controlledby the switchhook lever '7 for completing necessary circuit connections. The coin chute which is of standard and well known 50 form is constructed of a central cored portion 9 to the opposite sides of which are secured formed plates 10 and 11 which together with the cored portion 9 form the runways for the coins of different denominations.

55 For simplicity of illustration and description the invention'is illustrated only in connection with onerunway, namely, that for the five-cent piece but it is obvious that it is equallyapplicable to any or all of the chutes of any box of the type illustrated. 5

As shown more "clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, there is pivotally supported by ears or lugs 14 upon the side member 10 of the coin chute, a lever 15 the lower end of which is weighted as at 16 so that the lever will normally be swungby. gravity into the position shown in Fig. 3. Carried by the upperend of the lever 15 is a projecting pin or rod 18 which is adapted to swing through an opening 19' in the adjacent wall of the chute. Just below its pivotal axis the lever 15 is provided with a flattened projection 20 which is movableacross the lower margin of the coin chute to complete or interrupt the continuity of'the lower margin of the chute. A projecting lug or. ear 22 on the margin of the lever 15 engages a section 23 of the side 11 of the chute opposite to that upon which it is supported to limit the swing of thelever in that direction. In the wall or side 11 of the chute there is provided an opening 25 of suiiicient-size to permit a coin for which the chute is designed to .25 drop through unless it is restrained by engagement with flattened projection 20' on the lever 15 when in its normal position. In this'case the upper part of a coin 26 will be raised above the upper edge of the opening 25 duringits passage .30 through the chute and past the opening 25. The lever 15 is restrained from complete swinging movement during the passage of the legalcoin26 due to the-engagement with the coin of the inner end of the rod 18 which is brought into engage- -3 ment therewith by a slight swinging movement of the lever 15 resulting from the weight of the coin 26 striking the flattened portion or projection 20 of the lever.

In case the token dropped into the chute is an ordinary machine washer 30 as shown, for example,- in Fig. 4 its weight-upon the member 20 will cause the lever 15 to swing outwardly and since there is no surface on the washer for the inner end of the rod 18 to engage, the-lever 15 R will beswung outwardly far enough to drop-the upper: margin; of the: washer belowithezmargimof the opening 25,- the'reby causingathe washer-430 to tilt outwardly through the opening 20 without operating the normal mechanism of the coin box.

An undersized coin or one of too small diameter to engage the upper edge of the opening 25 will be rejected also.

What is claimed is:

l. A coin chute comprising a laterally and longitudinally inclined channel in which a coin rolls on its edge, said channel having an upper side wall, a laterally inclined lower side wall, a longitudinally inclined bottom, said lower side Wall having a perforation therein the distance between the upper edge of which and said bottom is greater than the diameter of a legitimate coin whereby a legitimate coin and a washer of the same diameter would normally leave the chute, and rotatable means for raising the coin edgewise above the upper edge of the opening in said lower side without affecting the normal course of a washer.

2. A coin chute comprising a laterally and longitudinally inclined channel in which-a coin rolls on its edge, said channel having an upper side wall, a laterally inclined lower side wall, a longitudinally inclined bottom, said lower side wall having a perforation therein the distance between the upper edge of which and said bottom is greater than the diameter of a legitimate coin whereby a legitimate'coin and a washer of the same diameter would normally leave the chute, and rotatable means for raising the coin edgewise above the upper edge of the opening in said lower side without affecting the normal course of a washer, said means comprising a lever having two arms both of which simultaneously engage a coin.

3. A coin chute comprising a laterally and longitudinally inclined channel in which a coin rolls on its edge, said channel having an upper perforated side wall, a laterally inclined lower side wall, a perforated longitudinally inclined bottom, said lower side wall having a perforation therein the distance between the upper edge of which and said bottom is greater than the diameter of a legitimate coin whereby a legitimate coin and a washer of the same diameter would normally leave the chute, and rotatable means for raising the coin edgewise above the upper edge of the opening in said lower side without affecting the normal course of a washer, said means comprising a lever having two arms one projecting through the opening in the upper side wall and the other projecting through the opening in the bottom. v

4. A coin chute comprising a laterally and longitudinally inclined channel in which a coin rolls on its edge, said channel having an upper perforated sidewall, a laterally inclined lower side wall, a perforated longitudinally inclined bottom, said lower sidewall having a perforation therein the distance between the upper edge of which and said bottom is greater than the diameter of a legitimate coin whereby a legitimate coin and a washer of the same diameter would normally leave the chute, and rotatable means for raising the coin'edgewise above the upper edge of the opening in said lower side without affecting the normal course of a washer, said means comprising a lever pivotally supported on the upper side of said channel and having two arms, one of which registers with the opening in the upper side wall and a lower arm projecting through the bottom the distance between said lower arm and the upper edge of the opening in said lower side being normally less than the diameter of a legitimate coin and the distance between said arms being approximately the radius of a legitimate 5. A coin chute comprising a laterally and longitudinally inclined channel in which a coin rolls on its edge, said channel having an upper side wall, a laterally inclined lower side wall, a longitudinally inclined bottom, said lower side wall having a perforation therein, the distance between the upper edge of which and said bottom is greater than the diameter of a legitimate coin whereby a legitimate coin and a washer of the same diameter would normally leave the chute, and rotatable means for raising the coin edgewise above the upper edge of the opening in said lower side without afiectingthe normal course of a washer, said means comprising a lever pivotally supported on the upper side wall and rotatable in a plane normal to the direction of travel of a coin, said lever having two arms for simultaneously engaging a coin to prevent its escape from said channel, and a weighted arm to normally maintain one of said arms in the path of the coin and the other out of the path.

6. A coin chute comprising a laterally and longitudinally inclined channel in which a coin rolls on its edge, said channel having an upper perforated side wall, a laterally inclined lower side wall, a perforated longitudinally inclined bottom, said lower side wall having a perforation therein, the distance between the upper edge of which and said bottom is greater than the diameter of a legitimate coin whereby a legitimate coin and a washer of the same diameter would normally leave the chute, and rotatable means for raising the coin edgewise above the upper edgeof the opening in said lower side without affecting the normal course of a washer, said means comprising a lever, pivot means supporting said lever, the axis of said pivot means being substantially parallel to the bottom of said channel, a plurality of arms integral with said lever, one of saidarms engaging the periphery of a washer to rotate said lever, the other arm entering the perforation in said washer, whereby said washer is permitted to escape through the opening in the lower side of said channel, and means for returning said arm to its normal position.

'7. A coin chute having a laterally and a longitudinally'inclined channel, said channel having a perforated bottom, a perforated upper side wall and a perforated lower side wall having upper and lower coin guiding edges, the distance between said bottom and said upper edge being greater than the diameter of a legitimate coin, a rotatable washer ejector having a lower arm and an upper arm pivotally mounted on said upper side wall, said lower arm projecting above the bottom of said channel, the distance between said lower arm and said upper edge normally being less than the diameter of a legitimate coin, said upper arm extending transversely of said channel into the aperture in theupper side wall whereby legitimate coins engaging said lever arexraised past said reject opening.

ARTHUR CARSON. 

